ERISA News

Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) have announced legislation to establish universal, portable retirement accounts. The Portable Retirement and Investment Account (PRIA) Act of 2021 would create such accounts for every American at birth, in conjunction with the issuance of a Social Security number.

The House Ways and Means Committee has released additional legislative text as part of its tax portion of the anticipated $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. If enacted, the proposal would impose several restrictions on IRAs.

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), in conjunction with the IRS and Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), have released proposed forms revisions modifying requirements for Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan, reporting. Additionally, the EBSA has issued a proposed rule to amend regulations relating to annual reporting requirements under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

The IRS has issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in Pennsylvania. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began August 31, 2021. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines, qualify for relief.

The IRS has issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of Tropical Storm Fred in North Carolina. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began August 16, 2021. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines, qualify for relief.

The IRS has issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in Mississippi. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began August 28, 2021. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in all counties in Mississippi and the Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines qualify for relief.

The IRS has issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in New Jersey. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began September 1, 2021. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines qualify for relief. This relief will be automatically granted to taxpayers in Ida-affected locations in other parts of the state subsequently designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The IRS has issued its initial 2021-2022 Priority Guidance Plan, in which it describes guidance projects in the current fiscal year. Many items in the plan have appeared in prior years’ Priority Guidance Plans.

The IRS has issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of Hurricane Ida in New York. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began September 1, 2021. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, and Westchester counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines qualify for relief. The IRS has indicated similar guidance will be released for Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties in New Jersey. This relief will be automatically granted to taxpayers in Ida-affected locations in other parts of these states subsequently designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The House Ways and Means Committee has released draft legislative text as part of what is currently planned to be a $3.5 trillion tax and spending package. The proposal would require employers without an employer-sponsored retirement plan to automatically enroll their employees in an automatic IRA plan or other retirement arrangement at a rate of at least 6 percent and increasing annually to 10 percent of compensation beginning in 2023. Representative Richard Neal (D-MA) previously proposed such legislation under the Automatic Retirement Plan Act of 2017. The current proposal exempts employers with 5 or fewer employees earning at least $5,000, or those that have been in business for less than 2 years from these requirements. The legislation includes enhancements to credits for small employers to offset plan costs and imposes an excise tax of $10 per participant per day to employers that fail to provide an automatic arrangement.